Chapter 82: Villainess-Adjacent Methods
Kiri retreated to the edge of the settlement, seething quietly, and did not notice that Tera had glanced back at her with a small, satisfied smile.
[Host is enjoying this far too much]
’I have no idea what you are talking about.’
[Host has sabotaged Kiri’s mating attempts multiple times]
[ಡ ͜ ʖ ಡ]
’Hello?! We already discussed this!’
’Plus, I intend to protect the clan from a manipulative liar who would use a child as a shield. If that happens to involve making sure she doesn’t trap some poor male into fatherhood...’ Tera shrugged. ’Then I’m doing a public service.’
[This system applauds Host’s commitment to reproductive sabotage]
[It is petty, strategic, and remarkably effective]
[This system has never been more proud]
[(◕‿◕✿)]
[Host is finally embracing her villainess potential]
’I am NOT a villainess.’
[Host is a pragmatic problem-solver with villainess-adjacent methods]
’WTF?’
- ※ - ※ - ※ -
The tubers were finally harvested, and when the clan members pulled them from the earth, they looked like they were witnessing a miracle.
And when Tera showed them how to roast the first batch over the fire, the resulting taste caused one of the males to sit down very slowly and stare at nothing for several minutes.
She had to even ask how he was, only for him to tell her that it was the best thing he had ever tasted, and proceeded to eye the half-eaten tuber like it was a sacred object.
It tasted like sweet potato, and Tera enjoyed it just as much.
That very same night, at the start of the third month, the shelters had finally all been completed.
The farm was producing, the shelters were standing, the smoking racks were preserving leftover meat, the herb stores were stocked, and the animal pen held four animals.
The Dow clan was no longer displaced survivors.
Tera sat on the flat rock near the farm, watching the settlement hum with quiet activity.
Cubs were chasing each other between the shelters, a few clan members were weaving baskets, and the rest were admiring their new settlement.
Even Xavi and Ermin were mesmerised.
Tera could finally relax.
[Ding!]
The screen flickered, and Tera felt her heart rate climb.
[Permanent shelters: 13. Accommodating all clan members: Confirmed]
[Reliable food source: Confirmed. Harvest cycle: Active]
[Bonus: Reliable food source (animal rearing): Confirmed]
[Bonus: Food preservation system: Confirmed]
[...]
[All objectives have been met]
[Along with some unexpected additions]
[Task Complete!]
[Establish a permanent settlement and advance the clan’s status from "Displaced Survivors" to "Organized Tribe": SUCCESS!]
Tera’s face was beaming with a wide smile.
[Rewards granted!]
[Construction +20, Influence +10, Nipples +100]
[+50 bonus nipples granted for completing major task long before deadline]
[Total Nipples Earned: 150]
[Achievement Unlocked: Founder]
[New System Feature Unlocked: Blueprint Mode!]
[System can now design and save structural blueprints from potential materials for faster, more efficient construction!]
[New System Feature Unlocked: System Space Upgrade!]
[Storage capacity has been expanded significantly to store 1000 items!]
[Special Bonus Applied!]
[First structure built has received permanent durability enhancement!]
[The storage shelter will now resist environmental damage and natural decay!]
The messages were so many, but they made Tera so happy she got up from her seat and jumped in excitement, nearly bursting into tears.
A few of the clan members who had looked at her were even more excited that Tera was rejoicing with them, not knowing she was overjoyed over an entirely different reason.
Ermin and Xavi smiled fondly.
Tera let out a breath she felt like she’d been holding for months.
It was done.
She had actually done it.
She looked around the settlement again, for the first time amazed that all this had happened because of her. Even though she had set up structures far more impressive and larger than this, given her circumstances, she was quite impressed by what she had managed.
[This system is so proud of Host]
[(..◜ᴗ◝..)]
Tera chuckled. "Well, thank you."
She just hoped the system wouldn’t give her a task any time soon and would just let her breathe.
’Now, let me see those stats!’
[Host Stats]
[Strength: 34/100]
[Charm: 20/100]
[Influence: 29/100]
[Construction: 29/100]
[Agility: 27/100]
[Mates: 2]
[Potential Mates: 0]
[Mate Stats]
[Registered Mate: Ermin]
[Favourability: 85/100%]
[Registered Mate: Xavi]
[Favourability: 88/100%]
[Currency: 152 nipples]
[Achievements:]
[Death Defier]
[Founder]
Tera stared at her stats, surprised by the improvement. She hadn’t checked them in a while. A lot of her added strength and agility stats had come from her helping with the construction earlier and the exercises. And it was nice seeing how her budding relationships with the clan members had led to an increase in her charm and influence.
But what she appreciated most were the relationship stats with Xavi and Ermin. Those two were so precious to her now, aside from their delicious dicks...
She was still going to make sure she got her fill before the babies grew really big!
Tera stood for a while, letting the warmth of the moment settle into her bones.
But even as the relief washed through her, a small, cold thought surfaced at the edge of her mind.
Somewhere out there were still those corrupted monsters, and Tera couldn’t shake the feeling that the peace they were experiencing might not last.
Less than two hundred corrupted beasts around the world was not enough assurance when some were in this region.
But she hoped they would be fine.
- ※ - ※ - ※ -
Tera had initially been underwhelmed by the small animals Xavi and the others had captured to keep in the pen.
She had expected larger game like the ones they had brought earlier to feed the clan, but Xavi had admitted that these were the only ones they had encountered recently. Only one pair among the four seemed to be the same species, which meant only those two could breed. The other two were lone specimens with no mates and no reproductive future, destined to eventually become meat.
But one of them refused to leave her thoughts over the following days.
It was the smallest of the four. A stubby, fat, round creature with a brown body and two impossibly fluffy white puffs covering its mouth like balls of moustache. Its legs were so short they were practically decorative, and it waddled rather than walked, rocking side to side with the unearned confidence of something that had never once considered that predators existed.
Every time Tera passed the pen, it would stop whatever aimless thing it was doing and stare at her with round, dark eyes framed by those ridiculous puffs, looking permanently surprised by its own existence.
It was the most useless animal she had ever seen, and she was becoming dangerously attached to it.
With each passing day, her visits to the pen grew longer, and her justifications grew thinner. She told herself she was monitoring the livestock and evaluating the animals’ health for breeding purposes, even though this particular animal had no pair and no breeding future whatsoever.
The truth was that she just liked watching it waddle.
Soon, the idea of this creature ever becoming someone’s dinner made her stomach turn, and Tera had made a quiet, irrational, completely impractical decision.
She wanted a pet.